§ Mr. Beithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what change of policy his Department was referring when letters were sent to the Fisheries Organisation Society and the Northumbrian Water Authority on 6th January 1977 indicating that the Government had subsequently decided on a different approach to the treatment of Tweed salmon fisheries under devolution than had been set out in a letter from the Lord President of the Council to the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 2nd March 1976.
§ Mr. BishopThe then Lord President's letter made clear the Government's intention that the devolution of freshwater fisheries should not take a form which might be to the detriment of English interests in these fisheries, and there is no change of policy. In the consultation process it was subsequently suggested that freshwater fisheries in the whole of the206W Tweed Commission's area should be a reserved function. The Government have now decided that such a reservation of fisheries within Scotland would be contrary to the policy announced in Cmnd. 6348 that freshwater fisheries should be devolved. The purpose of the letters sent on 6th January was to explain this and to make it clear that no responsibility for English coastal waters would be devolved.